God Only Knows
by ARega1s
Summary: What happened to Elizabeth at the conclusion to the main game of BioShock: Infinite? Warning: SPOILERS! Rated T for minor violence and themes.


**God Only Knows**

 **Hello readers. This is a little one-shot that has been on my mind for a while but I haven't gotten around to writing until now. I will start off by saying that I loved Bioshock Infinite and this story will contain a spoiler to the ending of the game. It was an excellent change of pace while adding in new and interesting gameplay. Having said that, I found the ending to be a little disappointing. I understood why Elizabeth had to kill Booker, to an extent. Still, I wish the main game could have ended on a more happier note. That being said, I do not own Bioshock Infinite, the cover image, or the song 'God Only Knows'. R &R and Enjoy.**

 *****With Booker*****

 _"He's Zachary Comstock!"_

 _"No. He's Booker DeWitt!"_

 _"No...I'm both."_

As the words left his mouth. The ex-Pinkerton felt himself being pushed into the cold waters of the creek. As he looked up through the clear depths, he could see the faces of three girls keeping him submerged. Actually, they were simply one girl but from different universes and realities.

Elizabeth...no...Anna DeWitt.

As the darkness slowly crept in around him, he couldn't help but feel the conflicting emotions of joy and remorse. Joy over the fact that he hadn't lost his daughter forever. That he had found her once again. That for a brief few days in his miserable life, he had spent time with her.

Yet Booker was remorseful over the fact that he was the one that had given up his daughter in the first place. That he had ruined his daughter's life both as Booker DeWitt and as Zachary Comstock. That, because of him, she had been both maimed and denied her childhood.

He knew he deserved this. This was a sort of ultimate penance for his sins.

Still...before everything turned black...he saw her face. Tears streamed from her eyes as she held him down. With the last of the strength left in his body...he gave her a reassuring smile...and then he knew no more.

 *****With Elizabeth*****

When the bubbles had stopped...when she could no longer feel him spasm beneath her...when his eyes closed after he had given her one last smile, Elizabeth released her grip on Booker. The other Elizabeths had disappeared when their realities had ended but she didn't care. The only thing that mattered to her was the body that was slowly to the surface.

Mr. DeWitt

Booker

Her Father

Finally, her emotions overtook her. With the strength she could muster, she pulled him up from the waters and embraced him tightly.

"I'm sorry, Daddy!" The girl sobbed.

"I'm sorry for not saying I loved you! I'm sorry for not saying that I forgive you! I'm sorry for having to do this to you! I'm so, so sorry!"

Elizabeth didn't know how long she cried. Time doesn't seem to have any importance or meaning to her. All that mattered to her was mourning the loss of her father. When she couldn't cry any more tears, when her voice had left her, she loosened her grip around him.

"Goodbye, Daddy." She whispered before kissing his forehead and letting his body slip back into he water.

"Well, now that this little experiment is over, what shall we direct our attention to now?" Asked a voice from somewhere on the bank.

"I hardly think this experiment has reached its conclusion, dear brother. There is still plenty of data that needs to be collected." Replied another.

This caused the broken and newly orphaned girl's anger to boil. What were the Lutece Twins doing here? Why were they disturbing her now? What could they possibly gain from her mourning her father?

"What do you want?" She finally asked, wiping away her tears before standing up and turning to look at the two.

"On the one hand, we don't desire anything." Said the male twin. "When one can travel the multiverse, material want becomes trivial."

"On the other hand," The sister continued. "We want intellectual advancement. The sheer amount of possibilities and realities presents us with near unlimited research.

"Then of course, there is you." Robert said, nodding to the girl.

"You, like us, are an anomaly to the universe. Existing outside the many realities." Rosalind continued. "We can only hypothesize on what you could do in the future."

This made Elizabeth glare at the two. So that was all she and her father were to them? A science experiment for their amusement? If so, she wanted no part of it anymore.

"So what will you do now? Will you join us in our pursuit of knowledge?" Asked the sister.

"Will you continue your mourning over something you knew was inevitable conclusion for your father?" The brother continued.

"Will you slip into madness before ending your existence?

"Will you use your power as Comstock intended?"

"Or will you simply throw a temper tantrum at us before making a futile attempt at running away from us?"

"ENOUGH!" Elizabeth yelled, glaring daggers at the twins now. "I've had it with you two! You treated my father and I like lab rats. You have no love or sympathy or compassion for anyone or anything. You're just as lifeless as the machine you created."

"But why would we want to feel those emotions?" Rosalind asked.

"They tend to be trivial and cloud one's judgement and thoughts." Robert added.

"SHUT UP!" The girl screamed before kicking water at the two until they were thoroughly soaked.

Yet instead of complaining or showing any signs of surprise or frustration, they simply began to jot down notes on their clipboards.

Growling in frustration, Elizabeth bent down and began scooping up mud from the creek bed before flinging it at the brother and sister. Yet even when their faces, clothes, and clipboards were covered in mud, they continued to give her no reaction and simply continued their note taking.

Finally, the girl gave up. Cleaning her hands off in the water, she opened a tear and walked into the Sea of Doors.

"It seems you were right, dear sister." Robert remarked.

"That I was, brother." Rosalind replied.

"Are you certain we were not overly critical on the child?" The brother asked, his mask of indifference faltering for a moment.

"Be careful, dear brother." The twin replied. "You are slipping again. In any case, we did what was necessary in order to push her towards her destination."

"Quite right." He replied before adding. "Perhaps, though, I am not slipping as you had first theorized. Perhaps we are more different from each other than just 'one chromosome' as you eloquently put it."

"Perhaps." She answered before the two disappeared, leaving nothing of their presence except for a puddle of water and clumps of mud.

 *****Meanwhile, in the Sea of Doors*****

Elizabeth was running. She knew not where. All that mattered to her was escaping the Lutece twins. Arriving at the nearest lighthouse, she opened the door and stepped into the new reality.

There was blinding light as she passed the threshold. Once her eyes adjusted, she saw that she was in an office of sorts. It appeared empty and unused if the thin layer of dust that covered everything was any indication. She was wondering whose office this might be before she saw the words printed on the glass of the door.

 _Booker DeWitt*Investigations Into Matters Both Public & Private_

The girl held in her sob as the realization of where she was hit her.

This was her father's office.

Looking around, she saw the poor state in which it was. Besides the layer of dust covering everything, several whiskey bottles littered the desk along with what appeared to be some betting slips to various horse races. On the wall hung the only indication of his military service. His stripes and several medals were hanging in a small display case.

Walking over to the desk, she began to open the drawers. The larger one on the side revealed several folders full of files, case notes, a broom-handle pistol, and a full bottle of whiskey. What she found in the upper drawer intrigued her, though. Underneath the random scraps of paper, she found some notes, photographs, and some personal items.

The first that caught her eye was a colored photo of a burlesque dancer. From what Elizabeth could determine from the photo, her name was Lady Annabelle.

"No." Elizabeth said in disbelief. "It can't be."

Yet her eyes were not deceiving her. The burlesque dancer was none other than Lady Comstock.

"Constants and variables." She mused.

Underneath the picture there was some writing and a lipstick kiss print

 _Thanks for the help, sugar. Give me a call anytime._

The girl sighed before moving on to a letter. From what she could determine, the handwriting was similar to the to that of the dancer's.

 _Dearest Booker,_

 _I realize that this may come at a bad time for you but I feel the need to inform you. In the night of passion we shared, the two of us made something wonderful together. I know you might not be ready to be a father now but I'm sure we can find a way to provide a living for the two of us and the child I now bear. Please see me when you can._

 _All my love,_

 _Annabelle_

Next, Elizabeth looked to the photograph under the letter. It showed a young Booker and the woman together. The corner of his mouth was upturned in the cocky smile she had seen when they weren't fighting their way through Columbia. Annabelle...no...her mother was wearing a modest dress and was standing beside her father. Each had a hand on her swelling belly.

When she turned to the letter underneath the photograph, her heart sank.

 _Mr. DeWitt,_

 _I would first like to extend my condolences for the loss of your wife. I know her loss must taking its toll on you. I have also noticed that you have acquired a substantial gambling debt and bar tab from this grief you must be experiencing. While it is understandable, surely you must know this will negatively affect your new born daughter. Do you truly wish for her to be affected by you negligence and self pity? If I may be so polite to say, I may be able to offer a solution that would be both beneficial for you and to your daughter._

 _Sincerely,_

 _R. Lutece_

"In the defense of your father, he did take his time in coming to his decision." Came a male voice near the office door.

Her hands shaking, Elizabeth gingerly put the keepsakes of her late father back in the drawer before balling her hands into fists.

"You...You..." Elizabeth stammered, unable to keep the rage and hatred out of her voice. "You tricked my father! You approached him when he was most vulnerable and took me from him!"

The brother at least appeared slightly mortified when his gaze turned away from her eyes and looked at the floor before his sister spoke up.

"Would you have preferred to remain with you father then? To have to deal with his addiction? The possibility of abuse and beatings?"

"I wouldn't know!" Elizabeth shouted back. "Every time, in every universe, he gave me up before I was more than a year old! How do you know he would have treated me like that? How do you know he wouldn't have gotten clean and turned his life around?"

"We don't." Robert spoke up. "But maybe he did. Maybe he knew he couldn't change. Maybe he thought he was giving you a better life when he turned you over to me."

"Then why did he always come back to me? Why did he always regret turning me over to you?" The girl demanded.

"Remorse. What father would want to give up his daughter, even if he knew she would be receiving a better life?"

"SHUT UP!" She exclaimed. "Daddy could have changed! He could have provided for me! He could have kept me!"

"Unfortunately, that is something we may never know." The two replied.

Angry at their answer, Elizabeth opened another tear and rushed through it as the tears fell from her eyes.

"Come along, brother. There is still much to do." Rosalind said.

"As you say, sister." Robert replied, his face betraying guilt at his actions before he expertly schooled them into his normal look of indifference.

 *****Meanwhile, With Elizabeth*****

Once again, the girl was running. Tears streamed from her eyes as she tried to escape the twins and the possibility that their words might hold some truth. Instead of the sunny skies and New England style lighthouses as were the entrance to Columbia, there was only the star filled sky and more modern lighthouses of Rapture. Running to the nearest lighthouse, she flung open the door and stepped inside.

Once the blinding light vanished, her eyes adjusted to the gloomy darkness of the underwater city. Shivering at the cold temperature, Elizabeth began walking down one of the leaky tunnels. She wasn't sure exactly where she was in the city as she continued her trek, only that it seemed to be leading to a social dance club of sorts if the posters were any indication.

Making a sharp left, she saw at the end of the hallway, near a fork in the road, a little girl crouched over a corpse. As Elizabeth drew closer, she saw to her dismay that the girl was repeatedly stabbing the body over and over with some sort of needle.

"Almost done, little angel." The girl said. Yet to Elizabeth, her voice sounded off, almost as there was something more inside the girl.

When the girl had finished, she stood up and...began to drink what looked liked blood from the reservoir of the syringe.

As much as the universe displaced girl wished to vomit, she managed to maintain control of her body, only letting out a muffled gag. Unfortunately, the girl seemed to notice. The little one turned her head. Elizabeth was shocked to see that her eyes were completely yellow and her skin was deathly pale.

The little girl tilted her head at her, almost as if she was trying to comprehend who Elizabeth was. Then she smiled and began to skip over to Elizabeth. The young woman didn't know what to do. Should she run away? Should she talk to the girl?

The decision was taken from her, however, when the little girl stopped in front of Elizabeth.

"Hello." The little girl asked cheerily, despite her distorted voice.

"He-hello." Elizabeth mumbled, a little frightened by the girl as she knelt down to get a better look at her. She was dressed in a crimson dress with a matching bow in her hair and black shoes on her feet. Overlooking her yellow eyes, pale skin, and distorted voice, the little girl seemed like any other girl, innocent and full of life.

"Why are you all alone?" The girl asked, looking behind Elizabeth on either side.

"I...I lost..." The young woman tried to say but couldn't finish her sentence.

"You lost your daddy?" The girl asked.

This shocked Elizabeth. How could this little girl know what had happened to her?

Letting a single tear fall from her eye, Elizabeth nodded her head.

To her surprise, the little girl flung her arms around her neck.

"Its ok." The girl cooed in her ear.

'So innocent. So pure and ignorant of the harsh truths I've had to face' Elizabeth thought as she wrapped her arms around the little girl's body.

Suddenly, Elizabeth heard a strange metallic clicking coming closer and closer. The girl in her arms gasped and looked around frantically. Neither could see what was making the sound but both knew that it wasn't good.

Scooping the girl up in her arms, Elizabeth began to run down the hall away from the noise. Yet no matter how fast she sprinted, the noise kept getting closer and closer.

"Don't worry, little girls! I'm not gonna hurt ya!" a psychotic voice called out.

Turning a corner, Elizabeth ended up in a darkened room with a large pool of water in the middle. She was having trouble finding another escape route when the clicking noise stopped, followed by a dull thud beside her.

What the young woman saw was disgusting and horrifying. At one time, it might have been a man but now he was horribly disfigured. His skin was stretched and distorted in horrifying and disgusting angles. In his hands and feet he held metal claws.

Elizabeth and the girl she was holding shrieked in fright. In her attempt at backing away, she tripped over some loose rubble and fell flat on her rump.

"Don't worry." The creature said, giving the two an ugly and malicious smile. "I'll make this quick and painless."

Elizabeth closed her eyes waiting for the inevitable.

Suddenly, there was a low groan from behind the creature followed shortly by a shriek of pain.

"Die, metal man! Die!" The creature cried as he attack whatever had interrupted him.

Opening her eyes, Elizabeth saw a hulking golem, dressed mostly in some sort of fabric suit while a large metal helmet covered its head. The light in the port hole shone an angry red as it attacked the monster. With one hand, it punched the creature in the gut. The thing flew into the wall and crumpled into a heap. Yet the golem was not done. With its other arm, it started up a large metal drill before burying it into the creature.

When the drill stopped, so too did the cries from the creature.

"Daddy!" The little girl exclaimed, wriggling her way out of Elizabeth's arms before rushing over to the hulking metal giant.

The port hole light changed from red to green when he saw the little girl rush to him. Getting onto one knee, he allowed her to wrap her arms around his leg before resting a large hand gently on her head.

"You always save me from the monsters." She said affectionately.

Gingerly, he picked the girl up before resting her on his shoulders. The giant then turned to look at Elizabeth, his port hole turning to yellow as he inspected her.

"She helped me run from the bad man, Mr. Bubbles." The girl said to the giant. "She lost her daddy when I found her."

The giant let out a low moan before his port hole turned back to green. He slowly lumbered over to the young woman before offering one of his large hands to her. Cautiously, Elizabeth took it and was gently pulled to her feet. Once she was standing again she had time to take in the creature fully.

His stature was tall and his outfits seemed to indicate he was a diver of sorts. On the back of both his hands was a Delta symbol. On his belt, he carried a variety of weapons with him, obviously to fight off the creatures that dwelled in this underwater city.

Moaning once more, the giant turned away from her, walking towards a hallway she hadn't noticed before.

"Bye bye." The little girl said, waving to Elizabeth as they disappeared.

Unconsciously, the young woman gave her a small wave before turning away and opening another tear.

 *****In a boat on the Sea of Doors*****

It was raining as she sat in the row boat. The heavy drops of water causing her hair to cling to her face and drip off her. Yet she could tell the difference between the cold drops landing on her face and the hot tears falling from her eyes.

"Would it be wise for us to inform her of the parallels between the world she has just experienced and the world in which she lived through?" The sister asked her brother.

"I don't believe she is in the mood to hear our theories." Her brother remarked as he continued rowing towards the lighthouse.

The journey continued in awkward silence, the rain refusing to let up and the choppy waves rocking the boat. When they finally reached the dock, she climbed out and slowly made her way to the door. She didn't particularly care where this new door led so long as it was anywhere but here.

Stepping though the door, she blinked the blinding light out of her eyes before checking her surroundings.

She was back in Columbia.

Worried, she opened a tear and met no resistance or stoppage from the Syphon.

"How is this..." The girl began to ask.

"Possible? To the question of the Syphon, you haven't truly become a part of this reality for it to affect you and your abilities. As to how this version of Columbia exists, that is a mystery for another time." One of the twins spoke up from behind her.

Sighing, Elizabeth began to walk away from the twins, not even bothering to acknowledge them. It was interesting to see the streets bustling with life instead of trying to kill her and Booker.

Booker. Her thoughts always seemed to return to him.

Eventually, she ended up near a small overlook of the city. There was a small patch of grass with a few benches and the view was of her old tower.

"Mommy! Mommy!" A little girl called. Turning to her left, Elizabeth saw a family of three standing together.

"When do you think they will start, Mommy?" she asked as she clung to her father's leg.

"In a few minutes, sweetie." The mother said, looking lovingly at the girl.

"Patience, dear." The father added ruffling up her hair. "They've always been on time."

Just then, Elizabeth heard the approach of a small floating platform. The small group of people in and near the overlook cheered as it drew closer. From what Elizabeth could tell, it was a barbershop quartet coming to serenade the small audience.

 _I may not always love you_

 _But long as there are stars above you_

 _You never need to doubt it_

 _I'll make you so sure about it_

 _God only knows what I'd be without you_

As their song began, a few of the couples began to dance hand in hand to the beautiful melody. Some of the small families even dance with their children, much to the delight of the young ones.

To Elizabeth, it was both uplifting to see the happiness of the families but also heartbreaking since she had no family of her own to enjoy this moment with.

 _If you should ever leave me_

 _Though life would still go on believe me_

 _The world could show nothing to me_

 _So what good would living do me_

 _God only knows what I'd be without you_

"Care for a dance, my lady?" A man behind Elizabeth asked.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm not really..." The young woman began to say as she turned to look at who was speaking to her. It was when she saw the man's face that she found she could no longer reply.

"Hello, Anna." Said Booker DeWitt.

"Booker?" Elizabeth whispered, not trusting her eyes.

"Yeah." He replied, giving her a cocky grin.

"Daddy!" She sobbed, rushing forward and wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.

The man chuckled at her response, one hand rubbing her back soothingly while the other gently ran his fingers through her hair.

"But how! How are you..." She tried asking as new tears fell from her eyes.

"Well...In the realm of infinite possibilities, there stands to reason that at least one of me might have lost something when trying to save you." Booker said before showing her his right hand.

To her surprise, she saw that he was missing part of his little finger.

"You...you have the same powers as me?" She asked as she compared his hand with her's.

"It takes some time to learn everything but when you have those two sticks in the mud," he answered, turning to gesture to the Lutece twins. "you pick things up fairly quickly."

They both chuckled at that as they continued to dance to the song.

"Daddy, I'm so sorry for what I did. I didn't get the chance to apologize or say I was sorry..." The young woman began to say, burying her face into her father's shoulder.

"Shhh. I know." Booker said soothingly. "You did what needed to be done."

"But what if I didn't?" She asked in an exasperated voice. "If there is a version of you with my powers then there might be..."

"Don't worry about him." The man interjected. "I dealt with him and all the other Comstocks that tried to escape the purging."

Sighing in relief, the girl began to relax in her father's arms.

 _I may not always love you_

 _But long as there are stars above you_

 _You never need to doubt it_

 _I'll make you so sure about it_

 _God only knows what I'd be without you_

 _Without you_

 _Without you_

As the song finally ended, the small crowd applauded the quartet for their performance.

"So...what would you like to do now?" Booker asked.

"I really don't care." Elizabeth sighed, wiping away the last of her tears before smiling up at her father. "As long as I get to be with you."

Smiling down at her, Booker kissed her on the forehead before they opened a tear and left Columbia.

"There. Satisfied now, brother?" Rosalind asked.

"Careful, sister. Your own mask might be slipping." Robert replied.

"Perhaps." She stated. "It seems that your hypothesis was correct. There was more than there always being a man, a lighthouse, and a city."

"Yes." He said. "There is always a daughter that need protecting and there is always a father there to protect her."


End file.
